General Electric U34CH & Dieseliner Coaches by Pullman Standard

[buzz456]

This is a complicated subject. First off I try like heck to find a high Sun time of day for my sample. Then from the photo I try to find the darkest patch on the paint that I can find that has sun on it with no apparent reflection or shine. After I get the RGB values I almost always darken from there because it seems like it always looks too light to me in the sim. If you change all three numbers by the same amount you keep the color it just gets lighter or darker. Another factor is whether a person is using RWEnhancer or even the difference between the default clear or 3D clear. These all make the colors show up different so I don't worry about that stuff too much. I was more jerking your chain than being serious before as every time I send stuff out for beta one likes it and one thinks it's too dark or too light or sometime both on the same model. My favorite is when someone says that a UP loco is too this or that. From train watching the UP for more than forty years I can tell you that you can see almost every shade of mustard yellow on Earth on these guys depending on exposure. The only time anyone in the sim goes off the rails is when they get it too yellow.
As far as what you are working on the good news is you have a ton of photos to work with, the bad news is you have a ton of photos to work with.
There you have it.

[minerman146]

Thank you Buzz - that is exactly what I did and I chose the paint the same way from the fireman's door where there was some shadow.
Actually on the 3rd try this is what I was doing as I was sending Ceasar samples that were color shifted because of the Sun at first. I kept saying ..there is too much red! I am hoping to use 2 shades of blue. New from 1971-73 and then faded 1985-87.( i could see the chalking from pictures)
Thank you and for your good advice.

[minerman146]

And for Buzz ... (SIGH) its Too Dark

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Top color is what i sent yesterday off of this image.

Blue Jan17.JPG

It showed up darker in game ! Ha!
Back to the drawing board

This is nuts - I just changed my monitor setting from "Standard" to "multimedia"

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No change to the unit color .. hahahah this looks good

[minerman146]

This is from just removing most of the alpha layer
Slight change in blue

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[cnwfan]

Color is so subjective, with each of us seeing the same color slightly different. To add further complication, each locomotive will weather slightly differently depending on the type and amount of elements the loco external surface has been exposed to. Even down to the batch of paint that was used could slightly affect the color we see. Pigments vary slightly as does the paint vehicle color that the pigments are mixed into. I ran into this during my printing days with ink where we had to match a "corporate" color over the years and across ink manufacturers.

With that said, I would just try to get as close as you can using standard monitor settings, as that is what the majority of users are going to have. And like model railroading, weathering can hide a multiple of "painting sins" as long as it isn't overdone. From the screen shots though, I'd say you are pretty close. Excellent work.

[suzukisk]

I like it great stuff as always
Pete
suzukisk

[minerman146]

Quote from OpenRailer90:

Fantastic details! Don't forget to test it with the F40PH-2CAT and GP40PH-2B as well...speaking of that will the rebuilt control stand function any differently?

1. F40PH-2CAT - can be controlled from cab car as has same acceleration, you can hear the engine as you would expect. Doors of coaches open on platform side as they should. Brakes are weak. (compared to our usual stop on a dime brakes) *Switching to Engine from cab - kills the power in the engine and no go. Note - this is raw model and still in testing. I am pleased this much works at this time.

2. GP40PH-2B - same as above

Of note is the high-doors come in 2 versions - Hi Platform and Low Platform. This was an anticipated requirement.
The Rebuilt - Bombardier Cab with different throttle (as in the Shoreliners) is not done yet.

What we do have is the original control stand...

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Seeing the control stand as it was and also having seen many many many pictures of the rebuilt cab, you can see that just popped the cover off the controller, tossed it, removed the reverser and throttle and put in the new.


Openrailer (or any one else from Jersey) I got a trick question for you. On any Comet Version - when you wish to move from one car to the next, how many doors do you have to slide open?

[OpenRailer90]

If you’re talking about the side doors, depends on which cars are platformed. Have you considered player-controllable traps? Thought it would be very neat for runs that use both high and low platforms.

[minerman146]

If you’re talking about the side doors, depends on which cars are platformed. Have you considered player-controllable traps? Thought it would be very neat for runs that use both high and low platforms.

No, I meant if you are traversing the vestibule to go from one car to another. I should add this in.. IN REAL LIFE how many doors?
Player controlled traps - hmmmmmmm hadn't thought of that. Issue would be to program the platform people to go 'low' or 'high'/

[OpenRailer90]

I think it's redundant to traverse the vestibule since you'll be spending most of your time in the cab or outside. In terms of programming the low/high platform, I thought about using a player-controlled hotkey to toggle the trap instead.

[minerman146]

I think it's redundant to traverse the vestibule since you'll be spending most of your time in the cab or outside. In terms of programming the low/high platform, I thought about using a player-controlled hotkey to toggle the trap instead.

I am so sorry ... I do speak in code some times, expecting my mind to be read.
The answer is TWO. Two doors. All the Comet Coaches in game have two doors PER VESTIBULE

And how do I know ... cuz WE DO CHICKEN RIGHT!
Behold!

Comet_A-Right.jpg

Behold some more!

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Think of all the polys we just saved!

It took me 2 days to figure out why the vestibule seemed cramped... then I dropped this Comet IV down ... Im like hmmmmm there isnt supposed to be a door there. Then I went to my "UnderCarriage" Photo folder... and voila! I also confirmed this with my drawings from PS. there is a "safety bar" there - no door.

[minerman146]

Last up for tonight .....
Ladies and Gents - we are proud ... so proud to present ... our blue to you!

EL U34CH 3359 waldwick (1).jpg

EL U34CH 4159 waldwick (2).jpg

This blue has to do everything ... including shift in dark and light... this one does that.
Whew.
*in game what you see as blue/green is more blue.. this is just about as good as it gets.

[NorfolkNE]

It looks pretty darn good, hats off to the both of ya for going through all that instead of winging it like some others do.

[minerman146]

It looks pretty darn good, hats off to the both of ya for going through all that instead of winging it like some others do.

Thank you so much - once its released people wont even think of it. But let me tell you, when I got another update and it was purple again - my heart sank. I spent four hours comparing photos and pulling colors. This was my last ditch try....this was my screen when I finally picked the last color.

mrs.minerman-paintswatches.jpg

After this I will never let my wife down again with paint colors and say 'Oh that is just blue".

[buzz456]

"After this I will never let my wife down again with paint colors and say 'Oh that is just blue"

I learned that years ago but we still discuss color shades all the time.